Man drugged and murdered in Bauphal, dismembered body recovered after seven days
Police have recovered parts of the dismembered body of a man named Ruhul Amin Sikdar (65) in Bauphal, Patuakhali, seven days after he went missing. Police say he was strangled to death after being made unconscious with sleeping pills mixed into sherbet; afterwards his head, two hands and two legs were severed and dumped in different places.
Two people, Sahida Begum (48) and Abul Bashar (40), have been arrested on allegations of involvement in the incident. Sahida Begum is the wife of the late Shahjahan of Ponahura village in Bauphal upazila, and Abul Bashar is the son of Ismail of the same village. Another accused, Sohel (35), son of Mostafa Sikdar of Kabirkathi village, is absconding.
The victim Ruhul Amin's home was in Bajemahal village of Keshabpur union in the upazila. He lived in Dhaka with his wife and son.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sabyasachi of the Bauphal circle gave the information at a press conference held at around 4:30pm on Saturday in the seminar room of Bauphal police station. Officer-in-charge (OC) Sirajul Islam and second officer Sub-Inspector (SI) Khorshed Alam of Bauphal police station were present at the press conference.
Police said Ruhul Amin came to Patuakhali from Dhaka on November 4 for case-related work. He stayed at his elder sister Fazilatunnesa's house until the afternoon of November 6. He could not be traced after he went to Nurainpur Bazar that evening. On the night of the incident he went to Sahida's house from Nurainpur Bazar.
A few days after the disappearance, on Thursday morning, local people spotted a severed hand beside a road in Ponahura village of Kalishuri union. On receiving the news, police recovered it. The next day, on Friday, another hand and two legs were recovered from the same area.
Police also said that at one stage of the investigation Sahida Begum and Abul Bashar were taken to the police station for questioning as suspects. Based on the information they gave, the other parts of the body were recovered on Saturday noon and the head at around 3:30pm.
Police claim that at around 10:30pm on November 6, Sahida Begum mixed 11 sleeping pills into sherbet and gave it to Ruhul Amin to drink. When he fell unconscious, Abul Bashar pressed a pillow over his face. At that time Sohel wrapped a gamchha around his neck and strangled him to death.
The body was then taken to a banana grove about 100 yards from Sahida's house. There, the head, two hands and two legs were severed with a sharp weapon. Police said the parts were then dumped in a ditch and nearby bushes.
According to police, Sahida Begum is a widow; her two sons live in Italy and a daughter's husband also lives there, so she lived alone at home. The victim Ruhul Amin was her relative, and the primary investigation found that he had a close relationship with Sahida.
ASP Sabyasachi said it is initially believed the murder may have been committed for financial and other reasons. However, the other reasons behind it will be known after the investigation.
Sabyasachi also said the victim's son, Advocate Imran Hossain, filed a murder case at Bauphal police station on Friday night. Sahida Begum and Abul Bashar have been shown arrested in that case. An operation is under way to arrest the absconding Sohel.
